Unauthenticated administrator creation via unsecured createou endpoint
Published Apr 9, 2021 · Updated Aug 12, 2026
Missing authentication in SonicWall Email Security 10.0.9 and earlier allows remote attackers to create an administrative account. The createou API endpoint accepts a GET or POST containing attacker-controlled XML and invokes the administrator-authorization feature without verifying an authenticated session. No existing account or user interaction is required, and the resulting role.ouadmin account grants access to the administrative control panel.
Summary
What happened
Missing authentication in SonicWall Email Security 10.0.9 and earlier allows remote attackers to create an administrative account. The createou API endpoint accepts a GET or POST containing attacker-controlled XML and invokes the administrator-authorization feature without verifying an authenticated session. No existing account or user interaction is required, and the resulting role.ouadmin account grants access to the administrative control panel.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-20021
- Published
- Apr 9, 2021
- Updated
- Aug 12, 2026
- Vendor
- SonicWall
- Product
- Email Security
- Classifications
- CWE-306, T1136
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 9, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 2021Exploitation reportedCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities entry
- Aug 12, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.9 and earlier
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- SonicWall Email Security three-vulnerability exploit chainexploit chain
- In-the-wild exploitation of Email Security zero-daysreported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities entryknown exploited catalog
- UNC2682threat actor
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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